lALlFOTitNlA     ■      ) 
;AN  DIEGO 


^SITY  CF  CALIFORNIA,  SAN  DIEGO 
Atlas   Series,'  No.  7. 


BURIED  MILLIONS. 


Where  do  the  Gold  and  Silver  Go  ? 


J.  V.  C.  SMITH, 


New    York  : 
A.    S.    BARNES   &   CO., 

Ill  &  in  William  Street. 


ANNOUNCEMENT. 


ATLAS    SERIES. 

The  Publishers,  A.  S,  Barnes  &  Co.,  have  begun  the  publica- 
tion of  a  series  of  volumes,  with  the  title  Atlas,  in  which  they  pro- 
pose to  bring  out,  at  a  moderate  price,  and  at  various  times,  a 
collection  of  Essays,  Stories,  etc.,  which  bear  upon  contemporary 
events,  are  of  current  interest,  and  of  permanent  value. 

The  contents  will  be  original,  and  prepared  by  eminent  writers 
on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic. 

No.  ^—BURIED   MILLIONS. 
By  J.  V.  C.  Smith, $o  . 

No.  G—A   SHOCKING   STORY. 
By  Wilkie  Collins, lo 

No.  t^— INTERNATIONAL  EXHIBITIONS. 

Paris,  Philadelphia,  Vienna.     By    Charles  Gindriez   and  J. 

Morgan  Hart, 75 

Xo.  ^—THE  CENTENNIAL   EXHIBITION. 
By  Francis  A.  Walker,       .         .         .         .        .         .         .         .  75 

No.  z—THE  LABOR   QUESTION 

By  Thomas  Brassey,  M.P.,  Thomas  Hughes,  M.P.,  Edward 

A.  Freeman,  D.C.L.,  and  others, i  00 

Nq    ^— modern  poets,  historians,  and  STATESMEN. 
By  Edward  A.  Freeman,  D.C.L.,  and  others,  .         .         .         •      $'  5^ 

No.  \— CURRENCY  TROUBLES. 
By  Amasa  Walker,  LL.D., 50 

Fo7-  sale  by  Newsdealers  and  Booksellers,  or  sent  by  mail,  postpaid,  on  receipt  of  price 
by  the  Publishers, 

Copyright,  A.  S.  Barnes  &  Co.,  1878. 


/  /  ^ 


BURIED  MILLIONS. 

"TTTHAT  becomes  of  the  enormous  amount  of  gold  and  silver 
v  V  known  to  have  been  accumulated  in  different  periods  of 
the  world's  history  ? 

Even  in  our  day  the  tons  of  precious  metals  drawn  out  of  ore- 
bearing  rocks  and  from  the  bowels  of  the  earth  excite  astonish- 
ment when  contemplated  in  the  aggregate  ;  and  yet  the  metals  are 
never  so  plenty  as  to  excite  apprehension  of  an  essential  de- 
crease  in  value. 

If  any  reliance  is  to  be  placed  in  historical  accounts  of  the 
accumulations  of  certain  potentates  and  miserly  individuals  of 
remote  antiquity,  it  would  be  true  that  had  not  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  gold  and  silver  of  early  times  been  mysteriously 
secreted  or  lost  in  the  sea  beyond  recovery,  both  now  would  be 
as  common  as  iron,  and  far  less  valuable,  because  quite  useless  for 
the  thousands  of  purposes  for  which  they  are  indispensable  in 
modern  civilization. 

Power  in  all  ages  has  been  represented  by  property  of  some 
sort.  Cowries — a  worthless  shell — is  still  precious  in  extensive 
regions  of  Africa.  Those  having  the  most  Cowries  exercise  an 
influence  over  those  who  have  not  so  many.  A  whale's  tooth, 
in  the  Sandwich  Islands,  in  Captain  Cook's  day  was  proudly 
suspended  from  the  neck  of  a  chief  as  an  evidence  of  opulence. 
Even  tulip-roots  and  leather  money  have  been  garnered  up  as  riches, 
that  not  only  symbolized  resources  of  an  enviable  character,  but 
dignified  the  fortunate  possessor. 

It  is  not  absolutely  necessary  to  have  on  constant  exhibition 
the  treasures  that  give  influence  to  the  owner.  If  he  can  avail 
himself  of  them  at  will,  the  reputation  of  possessing  pecuniary 
resources  to  fulfill  commercial  or  other  engagements  sustains 
his  credit. 

When  an  inability  to  meet  a  business  engagement  occurs,  in 
popular  language  the  individual,  thus  circumstanced,  has  failed ; 
and  with  the  loss  of  that  which  he  had,  or  was  supposed  to  have, 
the    influence   and  credit  previously  enjoyed  are  wrecked.     Such 


4  BURIED    MILLIONS. 

is  the  way  of  trade  in  these  latter  days.  Since  traffic  was  insti- 
tuted, during  all  phases  of  civilization,  having  or  not  having  has 
been  clearly  defined  in  the  affairs  of  men  in  all  conditions  of  life. 

Secretiveness,  an  element  in  humanity,  and  a  prevalent  belief, 
universally  diffused  among  barbarous  tribes  of  Asia  and  Africa 
and  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  Europe,  that  the  dead  had  physical 
wants  as  well  as  the  living,  made  it  a  religious  duty  to  provide 
deceased  friends  with  suitable  provision  for  their  long  journey  to 
a  happier  land  ;  whatever  was  most  valued  while  they  were  alive 
was  placed  with  them  in  the  grave.  Arrows,  stone  implements, 
pipes,  etc.,  in  mounds,  in  Indian  cemeteries,  and  aboriginal  bury- 
ing places,  are  the  evidences  of  that  wide-spread  sentiment  in 
America. 

In  South  America  the  same  sentiment  prevailed.  Pottery, 
specimens  of  which  are  surprising  indications  of  mechanical  skill  as 
well  as  crude  artistic  taste,  were  associated  very  frequently  with 
rich  deposits  of  pure  gold — miniature  representation^  of  animals. 
These  are  shown  in  museums  and  private  cabinets,  evincing  how 
extensive  was  the  practice  of  thus  honoring  those  who  had  been 
loved  or  venerated. 

No  one  has  been  able  to  determine  when  gold  and  silver  first 
became  the  representatives  of  wealth.  Certain  it  is  that  to  obtain 
and  then  to  keep  them  exercised  the  ingenuity  of  those  who  compre- 
hended their  value  long  before  regular  governments  were  organized 
in  Asia.  When  the  accumulation  became  too  burdensome  to 
carry  about  on  the  person,  coin  was  hidden  in  places  only  known  to 
the  owner.  But  as  tombs  were  regarded  with  sacred  aw^e,  and 
not  likely  to  be  invaded,  it  was  customary  to  make  them  places  of 
deposit  till  a  season  arrived  to  justify  a  removal  without  perilling 
safety. 

That  such  a  custom  existed,  can  not  be  questioned,  since  explora- 
tions among  the  rubbish  of  thousands  of  years  verify  the  statement. 
Traditions  of  the  finding  of  concealed  treasures  where  least 
expected,  and  under  circumstances  calculated  to  lead  to  specula- 
tions respecting  those  who  made  the  deposit,  the  motives  that 
actuated  them,  and  like  considerations,  serve  for  the  foundation 
of  romantic  stories  in  light  literature. 

It  comes  down  to  us  in  a  venerable  chronicle  that  when  Herod 
the  Great,  that  indomitably  energetic  despot,  was  in  immediate 
need  of  money  in  carrying  on  magnificent  architectural  schemes, 
he  cast  about  for  resources  for  rearing  palaces,  theatres,  and  hip- 


B  U  R  I  E  D     M  I  L  L  I  O  N  S  .  5 

podromcs   outside   the   ordinary  revenues   from    taxation.      In   the 
dilemma  he  broke  into  the  hallowed  tomb  of   King  David. 

To  the  astonishment  of  the  royal  robber,  it  was  apparent  the 
tomb  had  already  been  rifled  extensively  before  his  appearance 
there,  but  by  whom  or  when  could  not  be  ascertained.  As  the 
royal  treasury  was  made  amply  plethoric  after  the  desecration,  it 
was  presumed  that  immense  amounts  of  gold  and  silver  were  found 
therein. 

There  are  long  ranges  of  rock  tombs  on  the  almost  perpen- 
dicular side  of  Mount  Ebal,  facing  the  vale  of  Sichem,  now  known 
as  Nablous,  a  few  miles  only  from  the  historical  well  of  Jacob. 
They  arc  at  an  elevation  of  full  fifty  feet,  and  perhaps  more, 
above  the  land  level.  In  order  to  cut  apartments  in  the  solid 
stone  at  that  height  the  workmen  must  have  been  suspended  in 
slings  or  on  stagings  let  down  from  above.  So  many  of  them  are 
without  doors,  it  is  fair  to  conclude  they  have  been  violently 
broken  open  in  pursuit  of  something  of  supposed  value.  Beyond 
question  there  are  many  still  hermetically  sealed,  which  have 
escaped  the  prying  scrutiny  of  Arab  depredators. 

A  reason  for  placing  the  remains  of  friends  at  such  inconvenient 
heights  has  been  supposed  to  be  mainly  for  the  safety  of  whatever 
precious  accompaniments  were  inclosed  in  the  sarcophagi. 

While  leisurely  riding  along  at  the  base  of  that  enormous  mass, 
Mount  Ebal,  which  has  the  appearance  of  being  partially  vitrified 
at  various  points  in  consequence  of  being  subjected  to  intense  heat 
at  some  period  of  its  existence,  the  conviction  was  irresistible  that 
the  amount  of  human  labor  expended  on  those  chambers  of  the 
dead  presupposes  not  only  the  employment  of  a'  prodi<'-ious 
number  of  stone-cutters,  but  other  mechanical  combinations  quite 
as  striking  as  many  of  the  extraordinary  engineering  exhibitions  of 
masonry  in  our  day.  Directly  opposite  is  Mount  Gerizim,  there 
being  a  narrow  roadway  between,  controlled  by  a  gate.  They 
are  so  near  that,  when  Joshua  commanded  one  half  of  the 
tribes  to  stand  on  one  side  and  the  other  half  on  the  other 
although  occupying  the  slopes  of  the  two  mountains,  they  were 
near  enough  to  hear  the  law  read  by  their  victorious  leader. 

Open  tombs  abound  in  various  sections  of  Palestine,  and  the 
impression  generally  entertained  by  the  people  that  they  once  con- 
tained valuables,  explains  their  ruinous  condition.  Every  one  of 
the  Pharaonic  tombs  about  three  miles  back  of  Thebes,  on  the 
margin    of    the     Libyan    desert,    which    were    royal    sepulchres, 


6  BURIED      MILLIONS. 

discovered  by  Belzoni,  gives  abundant  evidence  of  having  been 
pillaged  before  one  finds  his  way  into  their  labyrinthan  apartments. 

We  carefully  examined  several  of  those  massive  granite  cofifins 
which  are  imagined  to  have  once  held  the  sacred  remains  of 
royalty.  All  of  them  have  an  interior  capacity  for  holding  two  or 
three  bodies,  hence  the  conjecture  that  they  were  made  so  for  the 
express  purpose  of  receiving  gold  and  silver  and  other  precious 
valuables,  considered  fitting  conveniences  for  maintaining  dignity 
in  that  country  to  which  we  are  bound. 

A  prodigiously  large,  massive  granite  sarcophagus  in  what  is 
popularly  called  the  king's  chamber,  in  the  great  Pyramid  of 
Cheops,  is  the  largest  at  Gizeh,  which  is  open.  The  cover  is  lying 
on  the  floor  by  the  side  of  it.  Such  are  its  dimensions  and  weight 
that  an  opinion  was  expressed  by  gentlemen  who  were  examining  the 
apartment  that  not  fifty  men  with  their  hands  under  the  outer  edge 
could  raise  and  place  it. 

Such  is  the  internal  capacity  of  that  particular  sarcophagus,  that 
if  it  never  contained  any  thing  but  a  human  body  there  was  room 
enough  left  for  bushels  of  jewels  and  coin. 

From  the  circumstance  that  the  cover  is  off,  the  theory  is  that 
something  was  taken  out,  which  it  was  easier  to  remove  than 
to  replace.  From  Herodotus  we  learn  that  accompanying  the 
remains  of  Cheops,  when  dead,  were  to  be  immense  treasure,  and 
both  were  to  be  deposited  within  a  colossal  structure— the  grandest 
monument  on  the  globe. 

Whether  the  body  was  finally  placed  where  the  monarch  ex- 
pected it  to  be  placed,  is  a  matter  of  doubt  ;  and  as  for  the  treasure, 
if  it  ever  went  in,  through  the  connivance  of  the  priesthood,  it  very 
speedily  came  out. 

A  disposition  to  secrete  valuables,  particularly  gold  and  silver, 
was  early  manifested  in  countries  where  it  is  practiced,  and 
in  the  sequel  will  account  for  their  disappearance  and  scarcity. 
It  is  also  clearly  a  fact  that  there  has  been  uninterrupted 
secretion  for  thousands  of  years.  The  same  instinctive  pro- 
pensity to  hide  from  the  knowledge  of  others  that  which 
is  most  desirable,  still  characterizes  many  sections  of  the 
world.  The  late  Queen  of  Madagascar  was  inclosed  in  a  coffin 
made  of  silver  dollars  riveted  together,  valued  at  thirty-thousand 
dollars,  requiring  the  united  strength  of  fifteen  stalwart  men  to 
carry. 

Oueens  do  not  die  every  day  in  Madagascar,  and  when  one  does 


B  U  R  I  E  D     M  I  I,  L  I  O  N  S  .  7 

throw  off  the  coil  of  mortality  during  the  despotic  reign  of  a  pagan 
sovereign,  not  only  treasures,  but  the  headless  bodies  of  scores  of 
obedient  subjects  are  buried  on  the  solemn  occasion  to  accom- 
pany their  liege  superior  on  the  voyage  to  eternity. 

At  the  death  of  her  late  pagan  majesty  the  whole  nation  was 
commanded  to  sleep  on  the  ground  three  months,  abstain  from  all 
sorts  of  labor  three  full  months,  as  an  indication  of  extreme  sorrow 
for  the  loss  of  an  ignorant,  oppressive,  vindictive  woman,  who 
fought  against  the  civilizing  influences  of  Christianity  in  her 
dominions  with  the  last  expiring  breath. 

There  are  political  conditions  of  modern  governments  which  so 
alarm  some  persons  that  they  conceal  their  valuables  to  avoid  a 
real  or  imaginary  danger  of  losing  them.  Security  is  best  attained  by 
burial.  Fear  of  severe  taxation,  and  a  distrust  of  bank  vaults 
as  places  of  safety,  lead  also  to  concealment  in  the  ground. 
During  the  civil  war  immense  sums  were  buried  in  the  Southern 
States,  to  save  what  could  not  be  conveniently  carried  beyond 
the  possible  grasp  of  soldiers,  with  an  expectation  of  a  resurrec- 
tion of  the  strong-box  when  the  conflict  was  over. 

No  doubt  large  sums  have  been  recovered  from  underground 
concealment,  but  it  is  quite  probable  that  a  million  or  two  of  dol- 
lars, plate,  and  important  documents,  in  consequence  of  the  death 
of  owners  who  were  alone  in  possession  of  a  knowledge  of  the 
exact  place  of  burial,  will  never  come  to  the  surface  again,  unless 
by  accidental  discovery.  This  explains  one  of  the  ways  in 
which  the  circulating  medium  totally  disappears,  to  the  derange- 
ment of  commercial  operations,  to  cripple  the  prosperity  of  families 
and  communities  in  after-times. 

During  the  occupancy  of  Louisiana,  under  command  of  General 
Banks,  a  servant-girl  betrayed  the  confidence  of  her  mistress  in 
New  Orleans,  with  whom  she  was  offended,  by  reporting  the 
burial  of  half  a  barrel  of  dollars  in  the  yard  of  the  premises.  Very 
soon  intelligence  was  wafted  to  the  ears  of  the  police.  On  they 
came,  w^ith  the  appetite  of  hungry  wolves  for  a  carcass,  and  com- 
menced explorations.  The  owner,  a  lady  of  refinement,  forbade 
such  rude  eagerness  to  destroy  the  beauty  of  the  yard,  and  insisted 
upon  having  her  rights  respected,  as  she  was  the  undisputed  owner 
of  the  property.  But  her  vociferations  rather  quickened  the 
shovelmen,  who  felt  quite  certain  there  was  something  worth  hav- 
ing there,  or  madam  would  not  be  so  demonstrative. 

About  four  feet  digging  exposed  a  tar-barrel,  which  was  borne  off 


8  BURIED     MILLIONS. 

in  triumph,  followed  by  the  owner,  declaring  it  was  her  property, 
lawfully  possessed,  and  she  had  a  legal  right  to  place  it  for  safety 
wherever  she  chose.  An  apprehension  that  it  might  be  taken  from 
her  by  some  marauding  military  ofifiicial,  led  her  not  to  dare  to  deposit 
the  contents  of  the  tar-barrel  in  a  bank,  where  it  would  be  liabla  on 
some  slight   pretext   to  sequestration. 

Interested  individuals  set  up  various  claims  to  treasure-trove. 
The  barrel  contained  sixteen  thousand  dollars  in  gold  coin  and  six 
thousand  silver  dollars.  The  judge  before  whom  the  matter  was 
brought,  to  his  honor  be  it  said,  decided  the  owner  could  not  be  de- 
prived of  her  property  because  she  had  concealed  it  in  a  manner  most 
agreeable  to  herself  ;  but  in  delivering  the  treasure,  advised  her 
in  future  to  seek  security  in  a  less  exposed  place,  to  the  extreme 
disgust  of  those  who  perhaps  expected  to  have  retained  the  money. 

Very  many  discoveries  of  buried  treasure  in  various  parts  of  the 
United  States  prove  beyond  contradiction  that  the  feeling  is  not 
peculiar  to  any  country  or  age,  that  below  the  turf  is  prefer- 
able to  a  dark  closet  in  an  occupied  or  unoccupied  dwelling  for 
safety.  Occasionally  startling  sums  of  old  coin  are  found 
in  antique  furniture  which  the  lucky  frequenter  of  cheap  auction 
sales  secures  for  a  trifle.  Travelers  over  the  great  deserts 
of  Asia,  particularly  the  Arabian,  on  the  camel  route  between 
Egypt  and  Syria,"  have  had  many  opportunities  for  studying  the 
secretive  habits  of  caravan  managers,  and  fully  believe  there  will  at 
some  period  in  the  future  be  active  researches  in  those  sandy  barrens 
for  buried  treasure  which  has  been  accumulating  there  for  ages. 

While  General  Sherman  was  coursing  through  Georgia,  so 
memorable  in  military  exploits  during  the  waf,  it  was  gen- 
erally believed  that  very  large  amounts  of  gold  and  silver  were 
buried,  and  have  not  yet  been  disturbed.  A  scattering  of 
the  people,  the  death  of  many  away  from  their  cherished  homes 
and  on  the  field,  in  hospitals,  etc.,  explains  why  those  strong-boxes 
still  remain  where  no  eye  will  view  them  again  till  some  accidental 
ploughshare  shall  bring  them  to  the  surface,  when  tillage  is  more 
active  than  it  now  is  in  that  splendid  State,  rich  in  agricultural 
resources  and  mineral  wealth. 

With  the  money-loving  character  of  Arabs,  whether  wanderers 
over  the  hot  sands  of  the  interior  or  residents  of  towns,  those  who 
have  had  intercourse  with  them  are  familiar,  and  it  is  equally 
curious  they  rarely  or  never  part  with  coin  in  trade  or  otherwise  if 
possible  to  keep   it.       There  are  very   aged   caravan    merchants. 


BURIED     MILLIONS.  9 

who  are  employed  in  transporting  goods  to  and  from  Turkey, 
Persia,  Egypt,  Syria,  and  distant  points  in  Africa,  who  must  have 
had  in  the  course  of  fifty  and  sixty  years  very  large  amounts 
of  gold — for  gold  they  have  a  decided  preference ;  but  instead 
of  bettering '  their  condition  with  it,  by  dressing  in  finer  gar- 
ments or  providing  more  liberally  for  their  families,  no  change  is 
ever  noticeable  in  their  domestic  relations.  They  receive  but  never 
pay  out.  At  their  death,  often  not  a  shilling  can  be  found.  At 
some  favorable  moment  for  eluding  the  watchful  eyes  of  those 
about  them  the  money  is  buried,  with  an  expectation  of  taking  it 
up  again,  no  doubt  ;  but  those  burials  become  numerous,  and  the 
spot  or  bearings  are  quickly  forgotten  in  an  avaricious  ambition  to 
gather  more  for  the  same  destiny. 

Underlying  the  moving,  restless  sands  of  the  deserts  is  a 
stratum  of  magnesian  limestone.  Between  that  and  the  drifting 
sand  is  a  compact  bed  of  hard  gravel.  We  have  seen  a  sheik,  the 
master  of  a  caravan,  stray  off  to  a  distance  from  the  encampment 
and  laboriously  excavate  a  hole  .with  tent-pins  in  that  concrete 
layer,  where  he  buried  an  empty  wooden  box,  which  could  neither 
be  found  by  himself  nor  any  one  else  one  hour  after,  all  indications 
of  the  exact  place  being  obliterated  by  the  combined  force  of  a 
scorching  sun  and  wind  blasts.  It  is  with  those  people  as  much  of 
a  propensity  to  conceal  whatever  is  dearest  to  them  in  the  way  of 
property,  as  for  squirrels  to  plant  nuts  in  the  forest.  They  barter 
among  themselves,  and  make  exchanges,  but  rarely  receive  or 
pay  out  money  in  their  transactions.  Even  in  the  hands  of 
vociferous  beggars  for  backsheesh,  a  word  always  ringing  in  the 
ears  of  travelers,  money  disappears  from  circulation  about  as 
quickly  as  it  reaches  their  fingers. 

A  similar  propensity  for  secreting  treasure  in  the  earth  is  com- 
mon among  the  Hindoos.  For  forty  centuries  they  have  been 
adding  to  the  underground  deposits.  The  Chinese,  too,  in  many 
sections  of  that  vast  empire  consider  a  deep  hole  preferable  to  an 
iron  chest.  They  have  a  saying  that  "  Scc7irity  is  below  the 
p  loughs  ha)' e. 

From  the  foregoing  recitals  we  can  reasonably  account  for  the  dis- 
appearance of  gold  and  silver  from  circulation  to  an  amount  in  the 
probable  aggregate  of  several  millions  annually.  Add  to  this  sum 
thousands  upon  thousands  stolen  by  expert  thieves  and  burglars, 
from  year  to  year,  at  home  and  abroad.  Locks,  iron  doors,  and  thick 
granite  walls  give  way  to  the  touch  of  ingenious  rascals  who  steal, 


lO  BURIED     MILLIONS. 

and  run  directly  to   Mother  Earth  with  their  ill-gotten  gains,  and 
hide  them  till  they  are  safe. 

What  has  become  of  the  gold  and  silver  actually  possessed  by 
the  Persians,  the  Jewish  kings,  the  Greeks,  Romans,  and  other 
nations  of  antiquity,  centuries  before  the  Christian  era? 

In  the  triumphant  march  of  Alexander  the  Great,  who  trod 
empires  under  his  feet,  the  collections  of  precious  metals  and 
gems,  if  reliance  is  placed  in  historical  chronicles,  present  an 
overwhelming  concentration  of  wealth,  as  precious  then  as  in  the 
present  year  of  grace,  and  equally  efificient  as  a  symbol  of  power. 

What  has  become  of  that  gold  ?     Much  has  been  lost. 

Then  the  sea  has  swallowed  up  in  its  capacious  maw  a 
moiety  of  the  world's  treasures.  Those  old  Spanish  galleons 
laden  with  gold  and  silver  bars  on  their  way  from  cruelly  crushed 
Mexico  and  Peru  to  the  royal  mint  at  Madrid,  often  went  to  the 
bottom,  carrying  down  whole  crews  of  pious  robbers,  where  they 
will  probably  remain  for  the  admiration  of  sharks  and  octopii  till 
another  geological  revolution  elevates  the  bed  of  the  ocean  above 
the  water-level. 

Where  are  the  wedges  of  gold  pillaged  from  Montezuma  and 
his  regal  successors,  and  who  can  inform  us  what  has  become  of 
the  transported  golden  sun  wrenched  from  the  temple  of  the 
Incas  ?  Millions  on  millions  were  borne  away,  by  the  greedy 
invaders,  to  dazzle  the  eyes  of  a  Spanish  court  ;  but  that  same 
old  Spain,  once  so  rich  from  the  spoils  of  South  America,  which 
she  Christianized  in  exchange  for  filthy  lucre,  has  disappeared 
comparatively.  It  is  now  poor  Spain,  without  money  and  almost 
without  credit.     Where  has  the  money  gone  ? 

That  is,  indeed,  a  grave  question. 

An  opinion  prevails  that  there  are  tons  of  coined  gold  lying  in 
the  bottoms  of  wells,  under  heavy  stones  in  the  dark  recesses  of 
temples,  churches,  and  other  sacred  edifices  and  religiously  pro- 
tected structures,  where  no  attempts  at  discovery  would  be 
permitted,  even  where  tradition  points  to  them  as  the  safe  deposits 
of  fabulous  wealth. 

In  the  course  of  some  necessary  repairs  of  an  antiquated  church 
property  at  St.  Gervais,  in  France,  a  few  years  since,  an  urn  was 
incidentally  exposed,  which,  on  being  broken  open,  yielded  up 
seven  thousand  silver  coins.  There  were  no  dates  upon  them,  but 
Greek  and  Latin  inscriptions  led  to  the  belief  they  were  struck  off 
before  the  Christian  era,  when  Marseilles  was  the  center  of  com- 


BURIED     MILLIONS.  II 

mercc  and  civilization.     They  were  in  a  state  of  excellent  preserva- 
tion, bearing  the  stamp  Jllassc/ia  on  one  side. 

About  twenty  years  ago,  some  laborers  were  digging  in  a  grave- 
yard at  Sidon,  that  very  ancient  city,  whose  origin  is  referred  to  one 
of  the  voyagers  in  Noah's  ark,  struck  upon  three  earthen  pots  which 
were  actually  full  of  gold  coins  bearing  the  head  of  Philip,  father  of 
Alexander  the  Great.  They  were  beautifully  milled,  but  the  edges 
or  rim  were  rough,  as  though  no  pains  were  taken  to  finish  that  part 
of  the  piece.  In  a  quarrel  among  themselves  respecting  a  division 
of  the  spoil,  their  wrangling  was  overheard  and  the  surprising  news 
of  a  discovery  of  so  much  gold  was  soon  propagated  to  the  ears 
of  the  Governor,  who  took  prompt  measures  for  securing  the 
pots — the  finders  only  saving  one  or  two  specimens.  One  of  them 
was  brought  to  New  York  by  the  late  Harford  Smith,  Esq.,  then 
consul  at  Beyrout  ;  another  was  purchased  for  a  cabinet  in  France  ; 
and  a  third  is  said  to  be  in  the  British  Museum.  What  ultimately 
became  of  all  the  rest  has  never  been  ascertained,  but  it  was  con- 
jectured they  were  immediately  melted  by  the  Pasha  as  a  prudent 
method  of  eluding  the  avaricious  demands  of  a  superior  at  Con- 
stantinople, who  might  hear  of  the  circumstance.  It  was  generally 
thought  by  intelligent  gentlemen  that  the  money  belonged  in  all 
probability  to  the  military  chest  of  Alexander  while  besieging  the 
magnificent  commercial  city  of  Tyre.  How  or  why  the  money  was 
buried,  of  course,  is  simply  conjectural.  The  intrinsic  value  of 
each  piece  was  a  trifle  more  than  an  English  sovereign. 

Both  here  and  in  various  places  in  Europe  plate  and  money,  even 
within  the  present  century,  ha\'e  often  been  concealed  for  safety  till 
a  temporary  calamity  should  pass  away.  An  instance  of  this 
kind  occurred  in  New  Orleans,  while  in  charge  of  Northern  troops 
during  the  civil  war.  A  vacated  house  from  which  the  family  had 
fled  on  the  approach  of  the  government  forces  was  assigned  to  an 
officer  for  his  temporary  quarters.  Each  dwelling  in  that  city  is 
provided  with  a  large  tall  wooden  tank  for  holding  rain-water, 
which  is  excellent  for  domestic  purposes.  The  new  occupant 
fancied  the  accumulation  of  sedimentary  mud  ought  to  be  removed 
to  improve  the  quality  of  the  water,  and  therefore  directed  a  ser- 
vant to  clean  the  cistern  thoroughly.  A  preparatory  step  was  to 
draw  off  the  hundreds  of  gallons  of  water  in  order  to  bail  out  the 
soft  mass  at  the  bottom.  The  very  first  movement  of  a  shovel  turned 
up  a  goodly  assortment  of  valuable  silver-plate  which  had  un- 
doubtedly  been    dropped    into   the  tall  tank    as    the    least    liable 


12  BURIED     MILLIONS. 

field  for  exploration  by  thieves,  robbers,  or  unscrupulous  military 
invaders. 

A  popular  impression  has  been  entertained  through  ages  of 
Roman  history  that  the  bed  of  the  Tiber  must  be  positively  rich  in 
gold  and  precious  specimens  of  art,  which  have  been  accumulating 
since  the  expulsion  of  Tarquin,  to  the  flight  of  Pio  Nono,  when 
Garibaldi  took  possession  of  the  Eternal  City  ;  and  since  then  there 
have  been  occurrences  and  political  excitements  which  have  con- 
tributed to  the  Tiber's  accumulations.  An  impression  is  quite 
extensively  propagated,  that  the  filled-up  artificial  harbor  of  Tyre 
must  abound  with  submerged  treasure.  Its  construction  when  that 
city  controlled  the  commerce  of  the  world,  sections  of  which  are  still 
in  perfect  condition,  is  an  amazing  exhibition  of  masonry,  which  has 
not  been  surpassed,  with  all  our  advantages,  skill,  engineering  tact, 
and  superior  tools,  even  in  1877.  An  inclosure  of  deep  water,  com- 
manded by  huge  gates,  which  were  opened  for  the  entrance  or  exit 
of  vessels  is  now  so  nearly  filled  up  with  sand  that  there  was  hardly 
depth  enough  for  a  small  schooner  to  ride  at  anchor  when  the 
writer  visited  the  ruins.  Undoubtedly,  furious  objects  of  exceeding 
interest  for  the  archaeologist,  and  unsuspected  amounts  of  treasure 
are  entombed  in  that  bed  of  sand. 

Repeated  applications  have  been  made  to  the  Court  of  Stam- 
boul  for  a  firman  that  would  allow  examinations  to  be  safely 
conducted  with  diving-bells,  dredges,  etc.,  but  permission  has 
been  invariably  denied. 

Silver  undergoes  destructive  alterations  in  ocean  water.  Gold, 
on  the  other  hand,  is  unchanged  by  its  action,  however  long  ex- 
posed to  its  contact.  This  fact  has  been  repeatedly  substantiated 
in  submarine  enterprises.  Silver  dollars  in  boxes  taken  from 
sunken  vessels  presented  the  frailest  skeletons  of  their  original  form, 
quite  worthless,  while  gold  remained  unaltered.  Silver  is  slowly 
soluble  in  the  ocean. 

Stories  of  piratical  money-burials  are  quite  common  on  the 
coast  of  New  England ;  and  Captain  Kidd,  more  celebrated 
than  any  of  that  hazardous  profession,  has  the  reputation  of 
hiding  so  many  chests  and  lead-covered  pots  of  gold,  that  an 
epidemic  occasionally  breaks  out  for  renewed  explorations  among 
these  islands  in  the  vicinity  of  Long  Island,  on  the  New  Jersey 
coast,  and  up  the  Hudson  as  far  as  salmon  formerly  ascended. 
Mysterious  intimations  are  bruited  abroad  that  somebody  has  finally 
found  the  certain  track  to  that  very  romantic  freebooter's  buried  gold. 


BURIED     MILLIONS.  I3 

Why  no  dredging  operations  have  been  undertaken  in  the  slug- 
gish waters  of  the  canals  of  Venice  is  rather  remarkable,  since  no 
more  inviting  locality  is  presented  for  that  kind  of  adventure.  The 
former  commercial  grandeur  of  that  city,  its  reputed  as  well  as 
actual  wealth,  now  so  quiet,  dreary,  and  poor,  suggests  the  possibil- 
ity of  much  wealth  lying  about  the  aquatic  gondola  door-steps 
of  its  gloomy,  moss-grown  palaces.  A  sensation  may  be  antici- 
pated one  of  these  days,  when  some  determined  Yankee  makes  a 
haul  of  one  of  the  diamond  rings  cast  into  the  Adriatic  when  with 
imposing  ceremonies  the  reigning.  Doge  was  married  to  his 
fascinating  bride — the  sea. 

All  through  the  existence  of  the  Roman  empire  the  habit  of 
burying  treasures  was  common,  not  with  the  idea  of  permanently 
keeping  it  out  of  circulation,  but  simply  for  temporary  security  in 
turbulent  times.  What  became  of  the  six  bushels  of  gold  rings 
drawn  from  the  fingers  of  the  dead  knights  on  a  memorable  battle 
field  ?  Independent  of  the  gold,  many  of  these  rings  were  set  with 
costly  diamonds,  it  is  fair  to  conclude,  of  immense  value. 

When  Titus  took  possession  of  Jerusalem  at  the  termination  of 
a  terrible  slaughter  of  human  beings,  the  treasures  he  expected  to 
find  in  the  temple  were  not  there.  The  golden  candlestick  of  seven 
branches  was  the  only  portable  golden  trophy  of  magnitude  men- 
tioned in  connection  with  the  overthrow  of  the  Jewish  nation.  It 
was  carried  to  Rome,  and  exhibited  in  public  in  the  ovation  decreed 
in  honor  of  the  conqueror.  From  that  moment  it  was  never  seen 
again.  When  the  holy  vessels  used  in  the  service  of  the  temple 
which  had  been  returned  to  Jerusalem  from  Babylon,  a  specific 
catalogue  of  which  is  given  in  the  Old  Testament,  were  sought  for 
by  a  greedy  Roman  soldiery,  they  could  not  be  found.  There  are 
vague  stories  of  their  distribution  in  foreign  countries,  but  those 
accounts  are  not  reliable.  It  is  far  more  probable  that  they  are 
somewhere  in  the  base  of  the  sacred  Mount  Moriah.  Ofificiating 
priests  had  ample  opportunity  while  the  siege  was  progressing  to  cut 
extensive  tunnels  in  the  limestone  rock  leading  out  from  the  subter- 
ranean vaults  beneath  the  temple,  where  those  treasures  could  be 
safely  concealed  from  the  prying  eyes  of  their  cruel  invaders.  And 
the  theory  that  at  some  interesting  period  in  the  future,  when  ex- 
plorations can  be  carried  on  under  the  protection  of  a  Christian  power 
far  more  extensively  than  they  have  been  conducted  by  excavating 
parties  now  in  Palestine,  those  vessels  will  be  recovered,  to  verify 
statements  which  have  come  down  through  centuries  as  traditions. 

It  was  never  known  what  became  of  the  ark  of  the  covenant,  in 


14  BURIED     MILLIONS. 

which  were  the  two  stone  tables  of  the  law.  The  ark  was  carefully 
guarded,  but  never  was  seen  after  the  destruction  of  the  first 
tem'ple,  nor  was  it  ever  intimated  that  it  was  carried  away  by  sacri- 
legious foes.  What  if  that  memorial  of  David's  reign,  with  the  law 
written  on  the  mount  which  Moses  received  from  the  fountain  of 
all  law,  should  also  be  found  in  after  ages,  whole  and  complete  ? 

That  gold  and  silver  and  rare  stones  were  valuable  when  Abraham 
journeyed  with  his  flocks  into  the  hill  country  of  Canaan,  will 
not  be  disputed,  since  in  a  negotiation  for  a  piece  of  ground  four 
hundred  shekels  were  paid,  of  a  certain  value  by  weight — "  current 
money  of  the  jnercJiant ;''  plainly  showing  there  were  counterfeiters 
then  as  in  these  demoralized  days  of  trade. 

Modern  advances  in  chemical  science  furnish  no  solvent  for 
gold  that  would  be  safe  to  take  into  the  stomach.  Moses  not  only 
dissolved  the  golden  calf,  but  he  compelled  the  Israelites  to 
swallow  the  strange  mixture,  from  which  no  bad  results  appear  to 
have  followed.  Concealing  gold  for  many  thousand  years,  much  of 
which  remains  where  its  cunning  owners  secreted  it  ;  the  losses  of 
unmeasured  wealth  in  the  sea  ;  the  immense  amounts  used  in 
the  arts  ;  the  fabrication  of  plate  ;  the  hoarding  by  misers,  and 
the  ship-loads  kept  by  banking  and  other  institutions,  the  posses- 
sion of  which  is  to  meet  pecuniary  emergencies  and  sustain  credit, 
will  account  for  the  disappearance  of  gold  from  circulation.  There 
is  another  outlet  for  gold  scarcely  recognized,  but  which  is  a  phen- 
omenon worth  mentioning — namely,  the  quantity  made  use  of  in 
dentistry. 

There  are  probably  ten  thousand  practicing  dentists  in  the 
United  States.  One  of  the  craft  speaks  of  the  many  hundreds 
of  pounds  of  gold  required  for  filling  decayed  teeth — a  department 
of  sanitary  industry  hardly  known  at  the  commencement  of  the 
present  century  as  now  conducted.  He  says  that  plates  on  which 
artificial  teeth  are  set  consume  nearly  a  ton  of  gold  annually.  Add 
to  the  demand  for  it  at  home  the  requirements  of  the  craft  in  Europe 
and  we  can  account  for  the  disappearance  of  a  portion  of  the 
precious  metal  our  California  friends  are  supplying  from  their  ex- 
haustless  mines.  A  fear  is  manifested  that  quite  a  new  system  of 
robbery  is  beginning  to  be  practiced — searching  tombs  and  graves 
for  gold-bearing  teeth.'  Hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  are  thus 
annually  consigned  to  the  abodes  of  the  dead. 

'  Such  a  theory  in  connection  with  the  robbery  of  Mr.  Stewart's  body  would  be  too 
hideous ! 


B  U  RI  ED     MILLIONS.  T.5 

With  all  the  combined  activity  and  enterprise  of  money-loving 
and  money-making-  people,  including  mining  energy,  gold  and 
silver  are  none  too  plenty  for  sustaining  the  industries  of  the  world. 
Were  it  not  for  the  perpetual  outlet  through  various  channels 
adverted  to.  in  the  foregoing  observations,  there  would  have 
been  a  glut,  and  depreciation  to  less  than  the  value  of  iron  or 
lead  would  have  occurred  in  the  days  of  Croesus,  of  Solomon, 
Psammeticus,  Lucullus,  or  some  other  of  the  distinguished  money- 
gatherers  of  antiquity.  Gold  still  holds  its  own,  and  it  always  will, 
so  long  as  humanity  remains  the  same  and  the  necessities,  cupidity, 
and  ambition  of  man  in  his  relations  to  his  fellow-man  remain 
unchanged. 

Another  source  of  waste  which  is  simply  to  be  considered  as  a 
gradual  disappearance  of  gold  and  silver,  scarcely  recognized  as  of 
much  importance  in  accounting  for  their  diminution  after  having 
been  coined,  is  by  attrition.  The  amount  worn  off  in  the  pockets 
of  different  owners  and  in  handling  in  transactions  by  merchants, 
shopkeepers,  in  banking  houses,  banks,  and  the  thousand  ways  in 
which  pieces  of  money  are  rubbed  together,  aggregate  a  prodigious 
sum  in  a  single  year. 

Mr.  Jacobs,  author  of  a  work  on  the  Precious  Metals,  written 
about  five-and-twenty  years  ago,  made  a  calculation  of  the  rate  of 
waste  in  Great  Britain  in  a  given  period,  which  was  really  surpris- 
ing and  led  to  frequent  recoinage,  a  process  constantly  going  on 
at  the  mint  in  London  to-day.  Deficiency  of  weight  detected  is 
made  up  by  the  owner,  and  no  underweight  money  remains  long 
in  circulation. 

In  the  extensive  domains  of  the  United  States,  the  wear  and 
waste  of  the  metallic  currency  must  be  immense  in  changing  hands 
so  frequently.  Pieces  are  often  worn  perfectly  smooth,  even  to 
the  obliteration  of  devices  and  dates,  and  while  they  pass  for 
their  original  value  in  the  hurry  of  pecuniary  transactions,  they  are 
far  from  standard  coin. 

Mr.  Jacobs  inquires,  what  becomes  of  the  gold  and  silver  thus 
imperceptibly  disappearing.  He,  further,  suggests  the  possibility 
of  a  subtle  law  by  which  it  re-accumulates.  Where  the  invisible 
atoms,  transported  through  the  atmosphere,  are  brought  together 
into  masses,  nuggets,  or  simply  strewn  in  sand,  or  driven  afterwards 
by  rills  into  river-beds,  is  left  for  the  consideration  of  philosophers. 
A  continual  loss  of  gold  and  silver  is  apparent,  in  some  or  all  of  the 
ways  pointed  out. 


^6  BURIED     MILLIONS. 

In  view  of  what  we  have  said,  and  in  the  presence  of  specie  re- 
sumption in  America,  after  years  of  specie  burial,  it  behooves  all 
who  knowingly  possess  them  to  bring  out  their  hidden  treasures, 
circulate  them  for  the  purposes  of  trade,  and  aid  in  the  establish- 
ment of  universal  confidence  and  add  to  the  ease  with  which  com- 
plete resumption  may  be  accomplished. 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA    001  118  837   2 


